Now, the sentiment of the account of Shri Gusainji’s sevak Ganes Vyas, a Shrimali Brahmin who lived in the West, is spoken.
Bhav Prakash (Revealing the Sentiment): This Ganes Vyas is a sattvic devotee. In the Divine Play, his name is “Pramodini.” He has manifested from “Ratikala,” therefore his form is of those divine sentiments.
This Ganes Vyas was born in the house of a Shrimali Brahmin in the West. Ganes Vyas was only two or four months old when his parents died. Later, he had an uncle, so he took him to his own home. There he grew up. When he became about twenty years old, one group was going from the West to Mathuraji, and he also went with them. Within a few days, the group reached Mathuraji. With them, Ganes Vyas also arrived.
At that time, Shri Gusainji was residing in Mathuraji. Shri Gusainji was performing evening prayers at Vishrant Ghat. There, Ganes Vyas obtained the darshan of Shri Gusainji. Ganes Vyas submitted a prayer to Shri Gusainji: “Maharaj! I am an orphan. I have no mother or father. Thus, I have come into Your refuge. Therefore, please show grace and accept me as Your sevak. And please give me some service.”
Then Shri Gusainji, recognizing his divine nature, said, “Go and bathe in Shri Yamunaji; then I will make you My sevak.” So Ganes Vyas bathed in Shri Yamunaji and came near Shri Gusainji. Then Shri Gusainji performed the naming initiation for Ganes Vyas. After that, by His grace, Shri Gusainji gave Ganes Vyas service in his preaching work. Thus Ganes Vyas began to serve lovingly.
Prasang 1 – The Deliverance of the Fierce Goddess Temple
So once, Ganes Vyas was taking materials for Shri Thakurji to Dwarka. One evening he was outside a village and was about to enter it. Heavy rain fell on the way. Looking around here and there, he found no shelter. A little distance away he saw a pinnacle-like structure, a small temple. So Ganes Vyas quickly went there.
Inside he saw a goddess installed there, with all her ritual items placed near her, but no human was present. Then Ganes Vyas thought in his mind, “The priest must be living somewhere. Perhaps he has gone to the village and will return soon.” Thinking this, he sat outside in the shade and kept the materials there.
Later, when the night had grown very late, no one came. But that goddess was glowing with a watchful light, as if guarding her own belongings. And she used to receive daily offerings of living sacrifices from the king’s side. She would eat those and sit. And if any priest came, she would consume him. This was well-known among the villagers. Daily worship was offered to her, yet all the items would be consumed by her alone.
One man came at night to have darshan of the goddess. He told Ganes Vyas, “Do not sleep here! No priest sleeps here. No one can remain alive here.” Then Ganes Vyas asked him, “What is the reason for this?” The man replied to him, “Anyone who sleeps here or stays here gets eaten by this goddess.” Then that man took the darshan of the goddess, told this news to Ganes Vyas, and went away.
But Ganes Vyas, fearless, went inside the temple. He put the materials in one corner, bathed the goddess, recited her name, and tied a prasadi garland around her neck, making her a Vaishnava. Then he observed that many things had been left scattered in the temple. Seeing this, he cleaned the entire temple. Afterwards he rested there at night. He had some prasada with him and ate it. There was a well from which he drank water. Then he slept.
That very night the goddess appeared in the king’s dream and said, “Do not send me the daily offering of living beings anymore. Now I have become a Vaishnava. Therefore I will no longer eat such offerings. Keep a priest here who will prepare food for me. What he cooks and offers me—that alone I shall eat.”
The king was extremely astonished. The next morning, Ganes Vyas took his materials and continued on his way. The king went early to see the goddess. There he saw that someone had cleaned the temple, bathed the goddess, and tied a garland on her neck. Seeing this, the king became very pleased within himself.
Then he appointed a priest there and arranged proper daily offerings. The priest would cook food and offer it to the goddess, and the goddess would partake of that offering.
Bhav Prakash (Revealing the Sentiment): This shows the nature of one who belongs to the Lord. By whose influence even goddesses, gods, and pilgrimage places become fulfilled. And such devotees of the Lord are so compassionate that while traveling, they easily bestow fulfillment even upon a fierce goddess.
Prasang 2 – Ganes Vyas and Shri Gusainji’s Divine “Anger”
And Shri Gusainji would often show great displeasure toward Ganes Vyas. But Ganes Vyas would never let his mind become disturbed. He was such a devotee of the Lord. The more Shri Gusainji reproached him, the more joyful he became within. And he would say within himself, “O Lord, may You always and forever continue to rebuke me! Because you know me as your sevak, you scold me. Otherwise, why would you bother to scold anyone else?”
Bhav Prakash (Revealing the Sentiment): This reveals that one scolds only one’s own. Thus Ganes Vyas accepted his Lord’s displeasure as a virtue.
After some days, Ganes Vyas shed his physical body. Some Vaishnav heard the news somewhere. He came before Shri Gusainji and said, “Maharaj! Ganes Vyas has left his body.” Hearing this, the hairs on Shri Gusainji’s body stood erect. Seeing him thrilled, Vaishnav asked, “Maharaj! You always used to be very displeased with Ganes Vyas. Then why has hearing this news produced goosebumps on You?”
Shri Gusainji said to that Vaishnav, “It is very hard to find a sevak like Ganes Vyas. There is none, and none will ever be. Upon whom I showed displeasure in so many ways—yet Ganes Vyas would always take it as instruction and accept it. He never allowed his mind to be disturbed. He was my intimate sevak.” Hearing these words from the sacred mouth of Shri Gusainji, the Vaishnav remained silent.
Such was Ganes Vyas—one who received the deep grace of Shri Gusainji. How far can one speak of his story?